Demystifying South Indian Classical Music Supriya Nagarajan, Sumie Kent and Ranjan Vasudevan
Event details
As one of the UK’s most sought-after Carnatic vocalists and Artistic Director of Manasamitra, Supriya Nagarajan blends her traditional training with contemporary sensibilities.
At this richly interactive workshop/concert, Supriya - alongside an eclectic ensemble of instrumental artists – invites you to engage deeply with South Indian classical (Carnatic) music, its aesthetics, structure and cultural logic. You’ll be guided through the fundamentals of raga, tala and vocal ornamentation, learning how melodic and rhythmic systems shape emotional expression, and how listening deeply can broaden appreciation of sound across cultures.
The session, which is both educational and immersive, will interweave performance with reflection and participation: Supriya will demonstrate key elements of Carnatic vocal technique and contextualise them within broader listening practices, while inviting audience members to experience aspects of the music directly. By performing live excerpts, illustrating how ragas are connected to time, mood and cultural storytelling, and sharing insights into the music’s temple roots and spiritual resonance, the workshop will become an embodied inquiry into listening itself.
Join us and gain not only a conceptual understanding of South Indian classical music, but also an embodied experience of its sonic richness, spiritual depth and capacity to connect diverse cultural worlds through listening, sound and shared curiosity.
Our event will conclude with a Q&A.
Annual Bruce Wannell Memorial Lecture
Image credit: Pablo Khaled
About the performer
Supriya Nagarajan has a unique voice in the British music scene and creates concept-driven immersive music productions that push boundaries and encourage thought. As the founder of Manasamitra, Supriya has created internationally presented immersive works including Lullaby -Sonic Cradle, Sound of Tea and Meltwater, and has performed across the UK and globally, including Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall, Southbank Centre and Casa da Música. Past presentations at York Festival of Ideas, such as Supriya and Duncan Chapman’s Sita: The Multifaceted Heroine of Ramayana, have shown her ability to blend lyrical performance with narrative and engagement, making complex traditions accessible and thought-provoking.
Sumie Kent started to learn Koto music aged eight under Miyagi school in Ikuta style. Ryoko Asamizu trained her well and she has been trained by world class musicians, including Tadashi Tajima the world-renowned Shakuhachi player. Now she is performing without being bound by any particular style and works on improvisations, arrangements and compositions while focusing on traditional music. She sometimes works with recording sessions for game, band and audio book, and recently published The Fortress of Lost Memories. She is also a member of the band Yo-Kai-Wai, led by Aziz Ibrahim the guitarist, co The Stone Roses and occasionally works with Manasamitra, led by Supriya Nagarajan.
Dr Ranjan Vasudevan from Cambridge (instagram: @guitarnatic) is the UK's leading Carnatic electric guitarist, blending faithfulness to tradition with the guitar's new possibilities. His teachers include his mother Dr Ramamani Vasudevan, Sri Balu Raguraman, his uncle Dr BS Sreekaanthan and Dr Sidharth Kumar. He has performed internationally including at Darbar Festival London, Sikkil Gurucharan’s ‘Jannal Oram London’ and the Chennai December Music Season, winning awards such as Indian Raga Festival London best senior instrumentalist (2020). He mentors Cambridge University's Indian Classical Music Society and leads collaborations across genres, being also well versed in blues, folk, jazz and rock guitar, and is passionate about sharing Carnatic music in innovative ways.
Duncan Chapman is a Lincolnshire-based composer, musician and sound artist working across installation, performance and collaborative projects. His practice explores immersive and spatial sound, with a focus on listening, place and connection. His work spans online and live performance, residencies, and international collaboration, including a residency at EMS in Stockholm, the curation of a concert for the Aural Diversity project and performances (with Supriya Nagarajan) in India (Jaipur Literature Festival), Australia, Scandinavia and across the UK, including at the WOMAD festival. Current and recent projects include performances with Comb Filter and Humbox, an album of marimba and live electronic works (Three) with Simon Limbrick, and a duo album (Quiet Knot) with shakuhachi player Mike McInerney. His solo work appears on the Silent, Takuroku, re:Natura and Linear Obsessional labels. Other releases include Dusk Notes and Lullaby Live (with Supriya Nagarajan), as well as two tracks on the album All Her Geese Are Swans (Wenalt Star). Current projects include collaborations with Flash Co (Whitby), workshop projects with Music in the Round and Conductive Music and the development of a new piece with a SEND school in collaboration with Mahogany Opera.
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